Coyote and the Laughing Butterflies

Book Review:

Coyote and the Laughing Butterflies is based on a Tewa Indian legend and explains the reason butterflies fly the way they do. It is all because of a joke they played on Coyote. Coyote is asked by his wife to travel to the salty lake, a days journey from their home, to gather salt crystals from the shore for cooking. Lazy Coyote gets up from his nap, takes a sack and heads for the lake. After the journey, he decides that he deserves a rest for making such a long trip. While Coyote is sleeping the butterflies that live in the meadow decide to play a trick on him. They each grab hold of one of his hairs and carry him all the way back home. The butterflies fly away in crazy patterns, laughing so hard that they cannot fly straight. When Coyote wakes up he is confused to be back at home and his wife gets angry with him for not getting her salt. The next day the butterflies play their trick on him a second time after he returns to the lake for the salt. On the third morning Coyote heads to the lake again, but this time fills his sack full of salt before taking his nap. On this day the butterflies feel sorry for him and lift both Coyote and his sack full of salt into the air and carry him all the way home. Coyote's wife is very happy and cooks enough food for all of their friends. The butterflies remember the joke that was played on Coyote and they still fly in crazy patterns because they are laughing so hard.

The illustrations are done by Harriet Peck Taylor and were drawn on fabric with hot wax, and then color was applied using fabric dyes. The images are very bright and creative. Harriet Peck Taylor says that her illustrations are very similar to ones she used to make in grade school.

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